On Friday afternoon, I had the pleasure of flying out of Laguardia and venturing into that part of Queens for the first time in months. It’s shocking to approach the airport on the Grand Central and to see that Shea Stadium is just gone. In its place is some fancy-looking ballpark with obnoxiously large letters proclaiming it to be Citi Field.
Up in the Bronx, the shock come April won’t be nearly as bad for the simple fact that the building I’ve grown up calling Yankee Stadium is still there. For the better part of the last three years, we’ve seen new Yankee Stadium go up. This year, we’ll all just head into the new park with the old park on view.
While I’m quite sad to see old Yankee Stadium go, the new park looks great. For proof of that, look no further than Bob Ruffolo’s inside account of the new stadium, complete with photos of literally everything. The new digs look great. From the view to the seats to the amenities, it’s clear that the Yankees got their billion dollar’s worth out of it.
Based on the pictures, it looks like the Yanks’ construction crews have their work cut out for them. The home opener is a month away, and the first exhibition games are set for the first week in April. But no matter. It still looks like a baseball playground only the Steinbrenners could build, and the sheer excitement of seeing a new park comes through in Bob’s photos. Check ’em out.